“It was a disappointing end to the day, we had a good car and really positive through the practice sessions,” Lowndes, who will share his seat with Steve Richards, said.

“We worked on qualifying speed and if we had completed the lap that I went off, we would have been close to the 10, so we know the car has the potential and speed.

“I just made a mistake into The Chase, broke a little bit late, locked up the front left and went through the gravel trap. We tried to do another run, there was just so much gravel coming out of the car, it was like driving on ice.”

Last year before a mechanical issue cruelled their chances, Richards and Lowndes were in a good position during the Bathurst 1000 after starting from position 16.